TOKYO, April 12 (UPI) -- The Japanese government, noting the impact from the March 11 earthquake-tsunami disaster, Wednesday downgraded its assessment of the economy.
The downgrade, contained in the Cabinet Office's March monthly report, was the first such in six months.
The report said the March 11 "Great East Japan Earthquake" had put serious downward pressures on exports, production and consumption, Kyodo News reported.
"Although the Japanese economy was picking up, it shows weakness recently, due to the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake," the report said, adding the pickup seen in March was "only weakly self-sustaining."
The International Monetary Fund, citing uncertainties from the March 11 tragedy, cut its 2011 growth forecast for Japan this week to 1.4 percent from the 1.6 percent forecast issued in January. Japan's economy grew 3.9 percent in 2010.
The Fund report forecast a 2.1 percent growth for Japan next year, up from its January forecast of 1.8 percent.
